Shirley confronts Carl about his actions, and she mysteriously disappears after this, though her friends believe she has gone to Greece as she had planned. Despite the circumstances over Sam's ordeal, the Mitchells still celebrate Chrissie's imprisonment when Sharon announces that she forged a contract that Ian had signed thereby meaning that Ian does not officially own the pub, and thus the Mitchells are the true owners of The Queen Vic once more. We've already explained how Phil (Steve McFadden) will be taking matters into his own hands after. Phil Mitchell ( Steve McFadden) could be set to make a swift exit from Albert Square this festive season, as upcoming EastEnders scenes will see the legend take drastic action. Unfortunately, after Dennis batters Johnny at the stroke of the New Year, Johnny arranges for him to be stabbed and Dennis dies in Sharon's arms leaving her devastated, while Phil becomes ridden with guilt for Dennis' death and vows revenge against Johnny. Mel, however, realizes it was a mistake and reconciles with Steve Owen (Martin Kemp), making Phil jealous. Nick overhears this, and cuts the brakes of the wedding car. This causes some of Phil's neighbors to suspect that he has murdered Lisa.[4]. Later, Phil is knocked unconscious when the exposed gas line explodes during the Walford in Bloom event but he is unharmed. After resolving matters with Grant and securing Jake's safety from exposed as a killer following the discovery of Danny's death, Phil resumes life with his family and Sharon. [50] Additionally, the show was criticised for turning the brothers into a comical farce by incorporating uncharacteristic humour into their dialect, which was described as "cringeworthy". Following the supposed death of Kathy and her husband Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas) earlier on, Ben returns to England and moves in with Ian much to Phil's surprise. EastEnders has revealed new details about Phil Mitchell's shocking New Year story. [4] On the rebound, Phil enters into a marriage of convenience with Nadia Borovac (Anna Barkan) - a Romanian refugee - enabling her to stay in Britain, with Nadia departing after the wedding.[3]. When she discovers this, Lisa tells Kate that she is taking Louise. 13million viewers tuned in to see their return giving the BBC a 52.9% British audience share,[31] a massive coup for the show which had come under heavy criticism in the British media after it drew its lowest audience in more than five years (6.6million viewers tuning in to one episode in September 2005). [3] Sharon and Grant's reconciliation is brief, and amidst more rowing and physical violence, Grant is arrested and imprisoned. Ian, however, is horrified by Ben's behaviour, and tells the police that Ben is lying; however, Ben thinks Shirley's best friend, Heather Trott (Cheryl Fergison), is responsible. Before Kathy returns to South Africa, she asks Phil to go with her but he declines as Grant has planned an armed robbery and Phil refuses to let him do the job alone. Phil vanishes again, and is next seen meeting with a long-thought dead Kathy in central London. Phil later grows annoyed when Kate befriends Dennis, and ends up punching him upon learning that the two nearly had sex together. The police begin investigating Keanu's disappearance and Phil's connection to it. Phil helps her to rescue Dennis and they return with Phil to Walford. Wanting Louise's address, he discovers that Peggy is back in London, so visits her. Phil finds out that Sharon has been helping Jane cover up the real killer Bobby Beale (Eliot Carrington), Lucy's half-brother, Phil tells Jane and Sharon that he will bribe the foreman of the jury to make sure Max is not guilty. Louise realises Lisa is not taking her medication. Phil is told by Ian that Ben has died after a homophobic attack following a night out, however this turns out to be Paul, Ben's boyfriend. Phil re-evaluates his life following his near-death experience and proposes to Shirley. This prompts Phil to finally reveal the true circumstances of how Dennis died on New Year's Eve 2005, explaining how he is the reason Dennis attacked Johnny, prior to the latter having him killed. When Shirley confesses she still loves Phil, he spurns her advances and instead proposes marriage to Sharon after she regains consciousness. Phil was one of the major characters introduced by executive producer Michael Ferguson, who wanted to bring in some macho male leads. "[8] Ross Kemp got the role of Grant. Phil eventually works out that Keanu is the father of Sharon's baby after he and Sharon tell identical stories regarding a hotel that they could only know if they were together. When Phil confronts her about this, she tells Phil that he cannot see Lexi if he objects. Realizing what he has lost, Phil gives up alcohol and attends Alcoholics Anonymous. Storylines featuring the Mitchell family dominated the soap opera throughout the 1990s, with Phil serving as one of the show's central characters and protagonist villains since the 1990s. After Ben's departure, Phil bonds with Dennis. While Jake buries Danny's body alone, Phil and Grant return to Johnny's home and find that Johnny has surrendered at Ruby's request; Johnny is later sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of Andy and Dennis, though he later dies of a heart attack in October 2006. Phil then agrees to be her confidant for the secret in exchange for money, which Shirley steals from her younger son Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) at his salon; he later discovers this and confronts his mother about her involvement with Phil, who later warns Dean off when they cross paths. One of the most culturally significant storylines featuring the character aired in 2001 and was dubbed "Who Shot Phil?". After the reception, Shirley enters their house and confronts them; Sharon is left devastated when she realizes Phil has been cheating behind her back even after he asked her to marry him. Phil and Sharon reunite after her relationship with Jack ends. There were mixed reviews for the highly publicised storyline (dubbed Get Johnny Week) involving the Mitchell brothers reunion in 2006. Phil finally gives up after Sharon colludes with Ritchie to take the family businesses from Phil. 16 Nov 2021. He is rescued and Peggy leaves the next day, realising he is better off without her. This was done to assure the chosen actors who would work together had a strong rapport and physical resemblance. EastEnders viewers learned Billy Mitchell's real age on the BBC soap, and many were in disbelief over how old he was. [4] Phil is unsupportive when his girlfriend, Lisa, has a miscarriage and he starts domestically abusing her by getting her sacked from her job and insists she stays at home. Phil now has many enemies: Lisa; Steve, who also knows about Mel and Phil's one night stand; Ian, who Phil bullies mercilessly; Mark, who wants to avenge Lisa; and Dan, who is back in Walford after many months away. Phil's bullying of Ian almost costs him his life: when Ian finds Phil having a heart attack, he threatens to let him die but helps Phil for Ben's sake. Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden. Before Sharon leaves, she tells Phil that he is the father of Lisa's daughter Louise (Rachel Cox) not Mark, as she had earlier claimed. How tall is Steve McFadden? Phil appears to oblige at first, but then proceeds to physically throw Lisa out of the hospital ordering her to stay away from their daughter. McFadden temporarily left the series in late 2003, then returned in April 2005 for a brief appearance before making a permanent return in October 2005. When Dalton plans to have her killed, sending his bouncer George Peters (Andy Beckwith) to rape and murder Kate in her house, Phil comes to Kate's rescue by knocking out Peters just as he attacks Kate. Phil is undecided until Lorna stops him going after Kathy by locking herself in his bathroom and attempts suicide. However, Archie later returns to the square and ignores Phil's constant demands that he leave Walford again. Upon arriving at the square, Phil and Grant notice Peggy being mugged and end up rescuing her. Several women have left him due to this and his inability to put their needs before the needs of his family. Phil tells Social Services it is his fault for being too relaxed with Lola, but then allows Lola to look after Lexi while he goes out. [44], In 2016, McFadden was honoured at The British Soap Awards when he was awarded "Outstanding Achievement' for his portrayal of Phil. [38], In addition the character has been praised for being good value, realistic, consistent within his character and convincing. Their wedding initially appears successful, but it ends in disaster at the reception; Phil witnesses his cousin, Ronnie (Samantha Womack), discover that Archie her father had manipulated her into believing that her long-lost daughter Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace), whom she previously employed as her secretary, was dead. This prompts Archie to confront Phil over his behaviour. In the early years of EastEnders, the hospital used by Albert Square was King George VI Hospital. At first Phil attempts to negotiate with Johnny to no avail, but they end up fighting when Grant intervenes punching Jake and helping Phil batter Johnny to steal the recording. Sharon does not believe him, but tells him to die quickly. [39][40], In 2009, Phil Mitchell came second in a poll by British men's magazine Loaded for 'Top Soap Bloke'. This change was perhaps a consequence of Grant's departure, who up until this point had always been depicted as the more selfish, thuggish and nastier of the two. "[25] The storyline also sees Phil become more violent. Phil warns Lisa not to mess up. [45], Although popular with many, the character has also garnered much criticism over the years. McFadden explained: "All he can see is Peggy's betrayed him. Phil is devastated by her death, unable to make a eulogy for her funeral, especially when he reads the loving letter she left him. Lisa agrees until some of Phil's relatives, assuming she is the nanny, start talking about how unstable Louise's mother is. He has played the role of Phil Mitchell since 1990 when he arrived in Walford with brother Grant (Ross Kemp) and mum . Phil then flees Walford and is not seen for over a year afterwards.[4]. Among the many issues Phil has been used to cover is alcoholism and the consequences the condition has upon the sufferer's life. Infuriated by Phil's loyalty to Grant, Kathy reveals their recent tryst, leading to Phil confronting Grant and Grant's confession that he slept with Kathy as revenge for Phil's affair with Sharon. [3] She moves in with him while she is investigated. The police believe that Lisa is dead, and at one stage a body is found which the police fear may be that of Lisa. [15] In an interview with The Guardian McFadden commented on his alter ego's descent into villainy "Phil's been had over by a lot of people, so now he feels like he can do it back. A spokesperson for the show said "Lisa Fowler was a major part of Phil's life she knows him as well as anyone, so she won't be happy about him looking after his daughter. After blackmailing Billy into telling him that Mel slept with Phil before she married Steve on the night of the shooting, Dan kidnaps Mel and alerts both Phil and Steve about this threatening to kill her unless they pay him 200,000. Phil Mitchell first arrives in Walford in February 1990 to open an automobile repair shop, known as The Arches;[3] he is joined by his younger brother Grant (Ross Kemp). She wants to return to Walford, but Phil tells her to stay away for Ian and Ben's sakes. However, Martin cannot go through with it so he and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) help Keanu fake his death and escape abroad with a new identity. However, Ian survived the attack. The Mitchell brothers quickly became two of the soap's most popular characters and storylines involving them began to dominate the programme. "[51], For other people named Phil Mitchell, see, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 07:19, "Jaime Winstone set to play a young Peggy Mitchell as EastEnders announces flashback episode", "EastEnders casts Jaime Winstone as Peggy Mitchell in flashback episode", Stagehand fires fateful shot to keep EastEnders in dark, Script thieves may want to know who shot Phil Mitchell, "22m tune in to see Phil confront East Enders' Lisa", "McFadden takes year out from 'EastEnders' Soaps News", "McFadden delays 'EastEnders' return Soaps News", "Steve McFadden to make 'EastEnders' return Soaps News", "Drug addiction plot for 'Enders character", "Lucy Benjamin to make one-off 'Enders return", "Steve McFadden: 'Phil could become more violent', "EastEnders star talks about weight loss", "To baldly go where no mane's grown before", "Harold Ramsay is Loaded's Top Soap Bloke", "Observer/Anthony Burgess prize for arts journalism 2020: Stephen Hargadon on Cold War Steve", EastEnders told off for Phil and Jamie scrap, Your guide to the real mystery of EastEnders, I shot Phil now bring back the real EastEnders, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phil_Mitchell&oldid=1142053134, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 07:19. However, Phil later changes his mind; he realizes that since Sharon is returning the money, it should not matter to him as he still wants to go through with the wedding. Phil is held on remand in prison on suspicion of Stella's murder and Ben delights in the distress he causes his father. "[36] His first return in April 2005 was generally well-received, with media comments such as "the excellent, bug-eyed Steve McFadden proves nobody does psychotic thug better than him" and "McFadden's blistering performance on Tuesday defies that old clich of a soap being bigger than its stars". His plan come to fruition when Phil contacts Dan's former crime boss, Ritchie Stringer (Gareth Hunt), and together to pair conspire to incriminate Dan for the shooting; with Ritchie giving Dan the same gun that Lisa used to shoot Phil. In response, she makes a deal with Phil for her daughters' sake and the two later begin an affair. At the start of 2014, Phil learns that Carl has entrapped Ronnie into having a relationship with him though she quickly ends it upon discovering his actions against the Mitchells. [4] Phil persuades Lisa to return to him and then makes it clear that it is Louise he and Peggy want, not Lisa. Shirley supports Phil through recovery. Phil and Sharon are told Lisa switched cabs and find Lisa's flat, which is empty. Phil visits Willmott-Brown at his house and warns him to stay away from Kathy. Carl is unfazed by Phil's threats for retribution and gloats that he has contacts inside prison who can harm Ben if Phil does anything to him. Phil comes to believe that the father is in fact Jack. The 61-year-old soap star has been on the popular programme since joining in 1990. When Ian's daughter Lucy dies, Phil begins supporting his former enemy and helps him get back on his feet. Later in the year, Phil attempts to buy back The Queen Vic, wanting to move his family into The Queen Vic after his split with Sharon. It says that unless problems are worked through (the female method), they will be repeated generation after generation". Ben, who has been blackmailing Martin Fowler, agrees to destroy evidence for him if he kills Keanu for the Mitchells, Martin agrees and Louise helps set Keanu up. Sharon agrees to help Phil fight for his son. Louise is in agony without her medication and Lisa prevents Louise from using the phone by cutting the cord. Phil soon wants children with Sharon, but she reveals that she is infertile due to a botched abortion; Sharon later admits that the baby she aborted six years earlier was that of Grant. Unbeknownst to Phil, Denise discovers she is five months pregnant by him as a result of a one-night stand they had. 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